The Russian language abounds in wise proverbs, but I am very much confused by some of them, specifically by those that appear to discourage proactiveness. I am at a loss as to how such a good thing as proactiveness could be viewed negatively, and this makes me doubt whether I get these proverbs right. I humbly hope that native speakers can kindly shed some light for a confused Japanese student.
Here are the proverbs:
(1) Проблемы надо решать по мере поступления. (Problems should be dealt with after they arise. Literally: Problems should be dealt with to the extent of their arrival.)
I have always believed that one of the most important things is to foresee potential problems and avoid them. In my childhood I was taught to play various strategy games (gomokunarabe, renju, Go, shogi, chess, draughts) to develop the ability to calculate many moves ahead. I was taught that this is a central ability in life. And the above Russian proverb appears to promote precisely the opposite view, apparently instructing to first wait for problems to arise and to only then get busy dealing with them.
(2) Не надо делить шкуру неубитого медведя. (People should not think how to divide the skin of a bear if it is still running free in the forest. Literally: One should not divide the skin of a bear that has not been killed yet.)
I have always believed that before you engage in any cooperation, you should agree with your partners on how to divide the future fruits of that cooperation, as otherwise you may end up fighting with your partners for those fruits. The above Russian proverb seems to instruct not to avoid that potential problem. More broadly, I was taught that if I do something, I should know what's in it for me. The above Russian proverb seems to say the opposite: first do something and then think or ask what you get for it.
(3) Пока гром не грянет, мужик не перекрестится. (A real man won't bother until he hears a thunder. Literally: Until a thunder strikes, a man won't perform the Christian ritual of crossing.)
I was taught to always watch for early, subtle signs of problems, especially in interpersonal relationships, and this Russian proverb appears to say that it is normal to ignore early signs and wait for an explicit and undeniable manifestation of a problem.
I tried to do my research by googling, but got even more confused by Russian texts, which appear to presume that the reader has Russian thinking patterns.
My question: What are the meaning and usage of the Russian proverbs that appear to discourage proactiveness?
